Learn2Write

Have you ever wondered why your sentences remain soulless even after adorning them with alluring adjectives? Adjectives are supposed to be game changers, right? Well, we don’t have anything against adjectives, but adjectives alone won’t improve the quality of your sentences. Don’t worry! Advanced verbs are here to save the day.  

Today, we are going to introduce you to a bunch of vivid verbs which you can use to make your writing stand out. So, before we begin, let’s refresh our memory. What are verbs? A verb is simply a word that expresses a physical action (sing, jump, walk etc.), a mental action (guess, consider, think etc.) or a state of being (to be, to exist, to appear etc.). 

How about we learn about these vibrant verbs through an example? Let’s read the story given below: 

The hooded figure slowly walked towards us. “Duncan, I am scared,” Lydia spoke in a faint voice. Her fingers were shivering as I took her hand in mine to calm her down. “Let’s run,” I told her. We ran down the hill without stopping. “I guess we are safe now,” I let out a sigh.

“Ahhh!” Lydia was crying out loud. A skeletal hand was holding her neck tightly. I looked at the stranger in disbelief; the stranger let out a scary laugh and said, “You can’t escape the wrath of my master. Wherever you go, I will follow.”

Now, let’s substitute the underlined words with some vivid verbs. Are you ready to see the upgraded version of the story? Here it is:

The hooded figure ambled towards us. “Duncan, I am scared,” Lydia croaked. Her fingers were quivering as I took her hand in mine to soothe her. “Let’s run,” I gasped. We sprinted down the hill without halting. “I presume we are safe now,” a weary sigh escaped me.

“Ahhh!” Lydia was wailing. A skeletal hand was throttling her. I gaped at the stranger; he cackled and said, “You can’t elude the wrath of my master. Wherever you flee, I will accompany.”

Impressive transformation, isn’t it? 

Bonus: here are some commonly used verbs and their better replacements — 

1. Walk – stroll, saunter, amble, wend one’s way, trudge, plod, hike, trek, strike, troop, patrol, roam etc.
2. Talk – lecture, orate, address, rant, chat, chatter, gossip, babble, prate etc.
3. Eat – consume, devour, ingest, bite, gobble, chew, feed, dine, nibble etc.
4. Cry – weep, sob, wail, bawl, lament, snivel, blubber, howl etc.
5. Smile – grin, beam, twinkle, grin from ear to ear, smirk etc.
6. Laugh – guffaw, chuckle, chortle, cackle, howl, roar, shriek etc.
7. Sleep – nap, doze, rest, drowse, trance, slumber, snooze etc.
8. Look – glance, gaze, stare, gape, peer, focus, peep, glimpse etc.

 We hope you found this article useful. Stay tuned for more.

Getting a child to practise creative writing can be a parent’s worst nightmare. After endless dodging by the child, many to and fro arguments between the parent and the child, often culminating with promises of reward to the child on completing his writing, the child finally sits for the dreary yet necessary exercise. 

The whole experience can be exhausting for the poor parent and uninspiring for the child. On top of that, the idea of practising writing, with the sole aim of scoring high in exam, under a ticking timer and the constant, watchful eye of the parent does not really get the creative juices flowing in the child. Shouldn't creativity be a ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,’ as Wordsworth once said?

That’s right. Writing should not feel like a task. The trick is to make it fun and educational at the same time. Here, we offer you five different and effective ways of making your child practise writing. Let’s get on with the first tip then.

1. Start a scrapbook: 

Imitation can be a stepping stone to awakening imagination in one. Scrapbooking a stock of handy quotes is a technique vouched for by budding writers. Encourage the child to copy out favourite quotes and fascinating descriptions from literary works. Writing out interesting text stimulates learning as well as creativity in the mind. Remember to ask the child to go through his collection (as a form of reading exercise) at the end of a week or fortnight.

2. Keep a diary or journal: 

Why not gift your child a beautiful diary and help him start on a new literary journey? Inspire the hidden writer in him to record special moments and events of the day. Diary writing can help the child develop unique and personal style of expression. Give your child space and freedom to write as and when he wishes. Starting first as some sporadic entries, diary writing should over a period become a daily exercise.

3. Scribbles and doodles: 

Sometimes writing from scratch can be daunting. To make writing exercise more exciting, take an already existing text and encourage the child to edit, improve or rewrite it. This text could be anything: a short story (many free stories are available on the web), a few paragraphs of a news article, or a work previously written by the child. If you want to create memorable moments with your child, you could write a short piece (story or description) and offer the child to evaluate and enhance it. A reversal of roles will draw the child’s interest and eagerness to re-write.

4. Letter and note writing:

Encourage the child to write letters (or mails) to grandparents, distant cousins and friends. Suggest that the child make cards for occasions like birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc. and enclose special messages for the recipient. With these activities, kids can learn how to communicate, socialise and, at the same time, practise writing skills.

5. Storytelling

Spinning a yarn is in the DNA of human beings. The first seeds of creative writing were implanted there. Nurture this inherent gift by making storytelling part of the day-to-day family discourse. From ‘What happened at school today?’ to ‘Why do you like your teacher?’, narration requires creativity, skill and precise vocabulary. When communicating with your child, ask him to describe the people he met, the places he visited and the feelings evoked in him by his experiences.  This exercise encourages children to be creative when describing the setting, characters, and the story as it unfolds. Ultimately, your child will become confident and less hesitant when he actually sits to write. 

So there you have it: some new ideas to help your child to get writing. Which one do you think will work for your child? 

“Little pig! Little pig! Let me in! Let me in!”  (Wolf)

 “No! No! No!  Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!” (Little pig)

“Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down.” (Wolf)  

                                                                                                       — The Three Little Pigs (Fairy Tale)

True to his world, the unfortunate thing happened – the wolf blew the little pig’s house down and gobbled him up like a piece of candy. The fairy tale ‘The Three Little Pigs’, to this day, makes us despise the untrustworthy wolf. The narrator did an exceptional job by framing the wolf as the ultimate villain just by the magic of his narration. But it is unfair to jump to conclusions without knowing the real story, right? So let’s hear the wolf’s version of the story. 

 “I rang the bell on the stick house. Nobody answered. I called, “Mr Pig, Mr Pig, are you in?” He yelled back, “Go away wolf. You can’t come in. I’m shaving the hairs on my chinny chin chin.” I had just grabbed the doorknob when I felt another sneeze coming on. I huffed. And I snuffed. And I tried to cover my mouth, but I sneezed a great sneeze. And you’re not going to believe it, but this guy’s house fell down just like his brother’s.”  — The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! By Jon Scieszka

Now that you have the story from the wolf’s point of view, it is really up to you to decide whether you should still hold him accountable or not. Powerful narration can influence the way we sympathise with different characters. It can make or break a hero and make us question our loyalty towards the protagonist. In case you haven’t noticed, this account of the wolf is more humorous and engaging. Who knew a change in perspective would bring about such a tremendous difference?  

CINDERELLA

Cinderella — the poor orphaned girl with a wicked stepmother and cunning step-sisters. Cindy toiled day and night, and by the time she finished all her chores, she was covered in cinders (hence the name Cinderella). We know all about the glass slipper, the stroke of midnight and the happily ever after. 

Well, brace yourself for some shocking revelations. The infamous stepmother is here to share her experience of living with Cindy, “OF COURSE you think Cinderella was the sweetest belle of the ball. You don't know the other side of the story. Well, let me tell you...”

“One day, a letter arrived, it was an invitation to the king's ball, and the prince would surely fall in love with one of my darlings. Then they would marry, live in a beautiful castle, and one day be king and queen of all the land! "Oh, Stepmother, I want to go too!" said Cindy. "Once upon a time, a girl and a Prince …” Then - just like that - Cindy lost her voice. Imagine it had to be from all that storytelling.    

Well, what could I do? I told Cindy she had to stay at home for her health. She cried, of course. Still, a ball was no place for a poorly girl. She needed rest.  Sometimes, it’s hard being a stepmother.”     

— An excerpt from Seriously, Cinderella Is SO Annoying! The Story of Cinderella As Told by the Wicked Stepmother by Trisha Speed Shaskan

See how a change in perspective can plant seeds of doubt in the reader’s mind and influence our thought process? How would other stories change if they were told from another perspective?  

Story from the point of view of an inanimate object:

 “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” ― George Eliot.

If asked to write a story based on the given topic — Going to the dentist— we are inclined to choose the dentist or the child visiting the dentist to recount the story. This time, we are going to do it differently. The dental chair is our narrator:

If you think that being a dental chair is boring, I hate to break it to you; it is the best job ever!  Who else has the luxury of having hundreds of hapless children holding on to them for their dear lives? I do! Out of all the little brats who visit me regularly, Tommy is my favourite because he is hilarious. Last week, as usual, little Tommy had an appointment with Mr John, the dentist. Halfway through the tooth extraction, Mr John went to use the restroom. “Don’t close your mouth Tommy; I will be right back,” said Mr John. Tommy, who was already traumatised by this whole experience, wasted no time and fled the scene. It took an entourage of nurses, doctors and Tommy’s parents to bring him back. I couldn’t control myself; I laughed my lungs out.

Oh, poor Tommy! It seems like Mr Dental Chair is enjoying himself. 

Are you tempted to write your version of a classic story, or any other story for that matter, from a unique point of view? Well, do it! It would be fun. We hope that we opened up a whole new world for you. How was the magic carpet ride?  

A title is like a prologue to a work of art. It gives us a brief insight into the kind of world the author intends taking readers into.

Titles are the biggest creative bait writers offer to readers. The decision to pass over or decide to read on a piece depends primarily on its title. Needless to say, a title of sorts must be sufficiently attention grabbing and catchy.

Here we present a few revelations about what makes spectacular titles for the genre of story writing.

1. Intriguing

Readers love the uncanny, the mysterious. You can tap on the eerie and craft something deliberately enigmatical. This is true particularly for the genre of fiction where fascinating titles may be a foreword to supernatural storylines soon going to unfold before their eyes.

Lewis Carroll’s ‘Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There’ (1872) and ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ (1865) are renowned novels in children’s literature with mystical titles and plots.

 You may come up with something like:

 A foray into the Fairyland (Story with the given openings – “I opened my eyes and realised where I was!”)

 A Topsy-turvy World (Story with a red car, a dragon and a school in it)

 A World of Incredulities (Story with a duck, a goose and a pumpkin in it)

2. Wordplay

Rhyming, punning or other forms of wordplay are every writer’s skill. You can put on your creative hat and create a mix and match of complementary words.

Drizzles that Fizzled (Story based on a picture - rainy day)

The Doomy, Gloomy Day (Story based on a flashback – late for school Again)

3. Reference to the protagonist

Titles may be based around and give us a sneak peek into the central character. You can disclose your protagonist’s identity in a number of interesting ways.

Create your own Lilliputian world of small and large creatures with a title such as:

What’s big and small? A Matter of Scales (Story from the point of view of an object - A doll’s house or toy car)

My Tried and True Buddy (Story based on a picture - piggy bank)

An Act of Valour (Story that ends with: Do, you want to be a superhero?” asked dad.)

The Sinister Sister (Story from the point of view of another character - one of the ugly sisters from Cinderella)

4. Symbolic

Words or language may represent something instead of directly naming an entity. It can be too bland to refer to an object by its ordinary identity. One may concoct epithets such as:

A Vestige from History (Story from the point of view of an object – a grandfather’s clock)

A Voyage along the Shore (Story with seaside as the setting)

5. Premonitory

Foretelling the bad or ominous is a recurrent motif in literary writing. Authors whet the reader’s anxiety by dropping a figurative word or expression which is supposed to predict something dreadful going to happen.

The Wrath of Nature (Story based on a picture – flood)

Your title must be your own brainchild. An author ought to give a free vein to his creativity and design something unique. Repeating humdrum terminology does not work and must be debunked. Being original means trekking through the unprecedented and giving a shot to absolutely novel, path-breaking titles. You may attempt anything from being informative, inspirational, motivational, sardonic to whatever comes to your mind, depending upon your theme and storyline.

Hope the above pointers come handy when you are struggling with titling your next story write-up. Stay tuned as we bring you techniques for titling for different genres in our upcoming blogs.

Here's the next on our list of well-composed, creatively written articles by our young authors.